The median home in Upper Macungie was built in 2000; there are 10,600 of them. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
New Roofing Costs connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.
This number connects homeowners who are planning a new roof or a full roof replacement with independent local roofing contractors. It is not for leak repairs or patch jobs. The call must come from the homeowner who decides on the roof. Calls may be recorded.
The rules for a reroof in Upper Macungie
Permit
Upper Macungie’s ordinance decides
The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Upper Macungie is the one to ask before work starts.
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 22% of Upper Macungie’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
Whether an eave membrane is a code item depends on the climate table the municipality filled in when it adopted the code (IRC R905.1.2, Table R301.2). The contractor or the township code office in Upper Macungie will know.
Owners live in 7,813 of Upper Macungie’s occupied homes, or 79%. By year built, 6% before 1940, 9% before 1960, 22% before 1980; 50% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 54% detached houses, 28% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 4% manufactured homes.
50% of homes here were built in 2000 or later. HUD’s useful-life table gives an asphalt-shingle roof 20 years, so roofs on houses from the early 2000s are reaching that age.
Of the 25 Lehigh County municipalities on this site, Upper Macungie has the smallest share of homes built before 1980: 22%, against a county range of 22% to 90%.
Median built: median year the homes were built. Before 1980: share of homes built then. Owners: share of homes that are owner-occupied. Row, twin: share of homes that are rowhouses, twins or townhouses. Census ACS 2020–2024. Hail days: days with hail of 1 inch or larger within 10 miles, 2006–2025, NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
Storm record around Upper Macungie
Within 10 miles of Upper Macungie, hail of an inch or more was reported on 20 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2.5 in on May 14, 2010. The most recent was May 6, 2025.
That is more hail days than 93% of the places in the state on this site.
Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm (DR-4267, March 2016) is the latest of 2 federal storm declarations covering Lehigh County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
Lifespans come from HUD’s capital-needs table, not from a brochure. More in the guides to shingles, metal, slate and flat roofs.
Material
HUD useful life
Fits a house like
Watch for
Asphalt shingles
20 years
Most pitched roofs; 54% of homes here are detached
Wind class set by the design wind speed (IRC Table R905.2.4.1)
Metal (standing seam, panels)
50 years
Low pitches and long runs
Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older houses; 6% here predate 1940
Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Low-slope roofs and rear sections (28% of homes here are attached)
Seams at walls and drainage
Checking a contractor in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s home improvement law (HICPA § 3, § 6) requires registration with the Attorney General from $5,000 a year of such work and puts the number on every estimate; ask for it in Upper Macungie and look it up.
Does a roof replacement in Upper Macungie need a permit?
Upper Macungie’s ordinance decides. The state code does not cover a reroof that changes no structure (34 Pa. Code § 403.1(b)(8)). So the township code office in Upper Macungie is the one to ask before work starts.
Can a new roof go over the old one in Upper Macungie?
IRC R908.3.1.1 forbids roofing over two existing layers, over slate or tile, or over a water-soaked roof. With 22% of Upper Macungie’s homes were built before 1980, ask what is under the newest layer.
How old are the houses in Upper Macungie?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Upper Macungie was built in 2000, 22% of homes were built before 1980, 79% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Upper Macungie had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 20 days within 10 miles of Upper Macungie from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
How do I check a roofing contractor in Upper Macungie?
Pennsylvania’s home improvement law (HICPA § 3, § 6) requires registration with the Attorney General from $5,000 a year of such work and puts the number on every estimate; ask for it in Upper Macungie and look it up.
What they will ask on the phone
The street address in Upper Macungie, or at least the ZIP code
The number of stories, and whether the house stands alone
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
That you want a new roof or a full replacement, and when you want the work done
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Upper Macungie